Feeding device for slicing machines



Patented Feb. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE RUE WOOD, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO DAYTON SCALE COMPANY, OF

' DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR SLICING MACHINES.

Application led December 27, 1923. Serial No. 682,850.

This invention relates to improvements in bread slicers and like machines and has for its object the provision of a simplified form of feeding mechanism.

Such feeding mechanisms have heretofore included ratchet and pawl devices for periodically rocking a lead screw which screw was threaded to the part for feeding the bread to the knife. In the present construetion the lead screw is done away with and a simpler and less expensive connecting mechanism is provided.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bread slicer.

Fig. 2 is a detail part sectional view ltaken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view with certain parts in section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of a modification.

'The bread slicer which is of conventional form includes side frames 10, rotatably supporting a main drive shaft 11. Carried on one end of the shaft is the knife 12 and on the other end is a hand or fly wheel 13. The usual bread chute 14 is also provided.

Overlying the bread chute and below the shaft 11 are a pair of rods 15, 16. Rod 15 is slidably mounted in brackets 17 fixed to the frames and rod 16 is preferably fixed against endwise movement by screws 18 (Fig. 3). To impart endwise movement to the rod 15, a cam 19 is provided on the drive shaft. Cooperating with this cam is a spring returned follower arm 20 having an abutment cooperating with cushion block on an extended end 15a of the rod 15. Actuation of rod 15 to the left is effected positively by a cam 19 and return of the rod is effected by a spring 21.

The bread pusher includes an L-shaped plate member 22 which is slotted to receive a threaded stud 23 fixed in a tined breadengaging element or pusher 24. A spring pressed knob 25 permits the tined element to be locked in any desired vertical position of adjustment. The L-shaped member 22 is lixed to a clutch box 26 which in turn is slidably mounted upon the rods 15 and 16. Vithin the clutch box are two spring-pressed rollers 27 and 28 which respectively bear against the rods 16 and 15 and against wedging surfaces in the top of the clutch box. One of these surfaces is shown at 29 in Fig. 2. It will be understood that as rod 15 is moved to the left clutch roller 28 will engage and cause the breadpusher to move in unison with the rod 15. Upon the return movement of rod 15 clutch roller 27 will come into action to prevent return movement of the pusher.

Means is provided for disengaging both clutches when the pusher is to be moved to the right by hand or when the pusher has reached its extreme limit of movement to the left. This means includes a member 30 pivoted to the side of the clutch box and having a stud 31 extending through a transverse opening in the clutch box so as to displace the clutch rolls from engaging position. This declutching may be effected manually by means of a handle 32 which is fixed to element 30, or it may be elfected automatically by the advancing of the pusher. The upper part of element 30 is adapted to come into contact with a collar 32 on the drive shaft 11 and eli'ect disengagement of the clutch elements when the pusher' has advanced to its limit.

For varying the extent of feed of the pusher to thereby vary the thickness of slice which is to be cut, means is provided for varying the extent of return movement of the rod 15. This means includes a stop 31 fixed to rod 15 and adapted to cooperate with a stop plate 35 which is adjustably mounted on the brackets 17. The stop plate is provided with a suitable handle (see Fig. 1) and may be slid in or out to align an index with a graduated scale 36 which is on top of the frame 10. The markings upon this scale indicate the thickness of the slices which are to be out. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the stop plate is provided with a series of differentially spaced stepped shoulders 37. In the embodiment shown in Fig. et the shoulders are omitted and a sloping stop surface 38 is provided. W'ith this form of stop, it is preferable that suitable means such as a wing nut 39, be provided for clamping the stop f plate in adjusted position.

,Vhile I have shown my improvements as applied to a bread slicer of conventional type, it is obvious that the mechanisms disclosed might be utilized in other forms of slicing machine. Hereafter in the claims when I refer to the term material receiving means I refer to the pusherwhich may be with or without tines or to a tray or material supporting or engaging device which would be used in a slicing machine.

1. A feeding mechanism for a slicing` ma chine including an element to be moved, a drive shaft, a feed cam on said drive shaft, a pair of rods disposed parallel with said shaft, one of said rods being stationary, means for reciprocating the other of said rods in one direction by said cam, said means including a pivoted cam follower lever resiliently engaged with the said cam and extending` into alignment with the reciprocatory rod, resilient means for restoring said rod, a clutch device slidably mounted on said rods and operatively connected to said element, a plurality of one way clutch means in said device cooperating respectively7 with the movable and fixed rods for moving the device and said element in one direction and preventing retrograde movement in the opposite direction, and means for varying the extent of feed by varying the extent of return motion which is imparted to said movable rod by said resilient returning means.

2. A feeding device for a slicing machine comprising a pair of rods having fiat clutching surfaces, means for reciprocatingone rod, an element to be moved, and a clutch device operatively connected thereto, said clutch device having clutch elements consisting of elongated cylindrical rollers extending across and cooperating with the flat surfaces of said rods whereby the element to be moved is ad vanced by one rod and retained in advanced position by the other rod.

3. Feeding mechanism for a slicing machine which includes a driving shaft with a hand wheel at one end and a knife at the other and an element for receiving material to be sliced and movable towards the knife and away from the hand wheel, said feeding mechanism including means for advancing said movable element towards said knife and away from said hand wheel, said means hav ing provisions for preventing retrograde movement of the element, said last mentioned means comprising a pair of rods, one fixed and the other reciprocable, means for recip rocating one rod by the rotation of the drive shaft, a clutch box on said rods having inclined wedging surfaces therein in opposiincassa tion to the surfaces of the aforesaid rods, said clutch box being connected to the movable element, cylindrical rolls in said clutch box, and resilient means for engaging the same with the wedging surfaces for the purpose described.

a. A slicing machine feeding mechanism having a drive shaft, an element to be moved and means for moving the same, said means comprising a fixed rod, a reciprocatory rod, means for reciprocating said lastJ named rod upon rotation of the drive shaft, and a clutch for advancing the element to be moved and preventing retrograde movement thereof, said clutch comprising a pair of cylindrical clutch rolls in axial alignment with said box and adapted to engage wedging surfaces in said box and the surfaces of said rods and a common member for concurrently displacing both of said rolls out of their clutching position for the purpose described.

5. A feeding mechanism for a slicing machine including a .fixed rod and a reciprocatory feed rod, an element to be moved consisting of a clamping device to clamp material to be fed, a clutch box with provisions therein for coupling` the same to the reciprocatory rod when the latter is in motion in one direction and for engaging the fixed rod when the movable rod is restored in the opposite direction and adjustable connections between said clutch box and said element to be moved for the purpose described.

6. A feeding mechanism for a slicing machine including an element to be moved consistin g of a clamping device to clamp material to be fed, a clutch device for advancing the same, reciprocating and fixed elements for advancing the clutch device and preventing retrograde movement thereof and adjustable connections intermediate the clutch device and said element to be moved to permit the vertical positions thereof to be adjusted, said connections including stud and slotted members and a spring-pressed knob for locking the element to be moved in desired positions.

In testimony whereof I hereto aiiix my signature.

GEORGE RUE WOOD. 

